Telecommunications system for transporting facility control data and wireless coverage information

ABSTRACT

Certain features relate to configuring a distributed antenna system (“DAS”) to interface with and manage components of facility control and monitoring systems while providing wireless communications in a cellular or public safety network. A communications module is configured for receiving facility control signals from facility control and monitoring centers and associated nodes and sensors. A signal processing module is configured to convert the facility control signals a format transportable in the DAS. The signal processing module is also configured to multiplex the facility control signals with mobile voice and data signals being transported in the DAS. The DAS configured to manage components of facility control and monitoring systems can route facility control signals to appropriate facility control centers or the nodes and sensors associated with the facility control centers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a U.S. National Stage Application of PCT ApplicationSerial No. PCT/US2014/061820, filed Oct. 22, 2014, and titled“TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM FOR TRANSPORTING FACILITY CONTROL DATA ANDWIRELESS COVERAGE INFORMATION”, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/980,631, filed Apr. 17, 2014 andtitled “Distributed Antenna System for Managing Facility Control andMonitoring Systems,” the contents of all of which are incorporatedherein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to telecommunications systemsand more particularly (although not necessarily exclusively) todistributed antenna systems that can interface with and manage facilitycontrol and monitoring systems while providing wireless communicationsin a cellular network or a public safety network or a similarcommunications network.

BACKGROUND

Modern facilities, such as buildings and stadiums, can have facilitycontrol and monitoring systems that include sensors distributedthroughout these facilities to permit remote monitoring of the facilitystatus by operators or computers at a central location. Facility controland monitoring systems can monitor various parameters, such as waterpressure in sprinkler systems, temperature, fire alarms, air quality,personnel in various areas, and security devices (e.g., motion sensorsand intrusion alarms). Additional facility control and monitoringdevices can permit remote control of other facility infrastructuresystems, such as lighting, ambient temperature, or controlled access tovarious areas.

In addition, facilities can include a distributed antenna system(“DAS”), which can include one or more head-end units and multipleremote units coupled to each head-end unit. A DAS can be used to extendwireless coverage in an area for mobile device users within the facilityfrom external communication systems, such as cellular or personalcommunications service (PCS) mobile voice and data services and publicsafety land mobile radio systems. The DAS can provide wireless RFcoverage throughout the entire building or part of the building.

Maintaining separate facility control and monitoring systems and aseparate DAS may result in separate wired networks within the facilityto route communications. For example, a security system, a fire alarmsystem, an elevator monitoring system, or a facility environmentalmonitoring system may be associated with separate wired networks withinthe facility to route control and sensor signals to a centralcontrolling points. Multiple communications systems can lead toexpensive installation costs and can make upgrading existing systemsdifficult.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, a distributed antenna system is provided. The distributedantenna system can include a communications module configured tocommunicate facility control information with a first component of afacility control and monitoring system. The distributed antenna systemcan also include a signal processing module configured to convert thefacility control information to a format transportable by thedistributed antenna system. The distributed antenna system can beconfigured to transport the facility control information to a secondcomponent of the facility control and monitoring system and transportwireless communication information between a base station and a remoteunit of the distributed antenna system. The remote unit can beconfigured to provide the wireless communication information within acoverage area.

In another aspect, a remote unit is provided. The remote unit caninclude an antenna interface configured to transmit wirelesscommunication information within a coverage area. The remote unit canalso include a communications module configured to communicate facilitycontrol information with a facility control node associated with afacility control center. The remote unit can also include a signalprocessing module, communicatively coupled to the antenna interface andthe communications module. The signal processing module is configured toconvert the facility control information to a format transportable by adistributed antenna system.

In another aspect, a method is provided. The method can includereceiving, at a head-end unit, facility control information from afacility control center. The method can also include converting thefacility control information to a format transportable by a distributedantenna system. The method can also include transmitting the multiplexedinformation to a remote unit for providing wireless communicationscoverage to a coverage area using the wireless communication informationand for providing the facility control information to a facility controlnode associated with the facility control center.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a distributed antenna system (“DAS”) thatcan interface with and manage facility control and monitoring systemswhile providing wireless communications in a cellular network or apublic safety network according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example of a head-end unit of FIG. 1according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a remote unit of FIG. 1according to one aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting an example of a process for using a DASto provide communications between a facility control center and facilitycontrol nodes associated with the facility control center according toone aspect of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a signal processingmodule in a head-end unit according to one aspect of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a signal processingmodule in a remote unit according to one aspect of the presentdisclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Certain aspects and features relate to transporting information forwireless coverage and data for facility control and monitoring systemsin a distributed antenna system (“DAS”) such that having multiplecommunication systems in an area, such as a building, can be avoided.For example, the DAS can receive facility control and monitoring datafrom a facility control and monitoring system and can convert thefacility control and monitoring data to a format in which the data canbe transported in the DAS. For example, the DAS can combine the facilitycontrol and monitoring data with information from signals pertaining towireless communications coverage in a cellular or a public safetynetwork and the combined information and data can be transported by theDAS to respective destinations (e.g., the information to a remote unitfor radiation by an antenna and the data to a facility control andmonitoring system).

Modifying the DAS to communicate with facility control and monitoringsystems can allow for seamless integration with building systems, suchas emergency monitoring systems. For example, a DAS configured to managefacility control systems can be used to locate personnel in a facilityduring emergencies, such as fires. A facility control node, such as abuilding control sensor, may be connected to a communications port of ahead-end unit or a remote unit and may be activated based on receivedfacility control and monitoring data. For example, in the event that afire alarm is detected, a facility control center that is a fire alarmsystem can send commands through the DAS to activate wireless sensorscoupled to remote units. Activating wireless sensors at remote units canhelp determine whether any personnel are located in a building during afire. Multiple remote units can receive the same commands from thefacility control and monitoring center to improve location accuracy andto help reduce the ambiguity in position location.

Modifying the DAS to communicate with and manage various facilitymonitoring and control systems can permit a single wiring infrastructureto be used for both cellular and public safety network communicationsand facility infrastructure control and monitoring functions. Modifyingthe DAS can also permit easy expansion of existing facility control andmonitoring systems as well as easing the addition of new systems.

These illustrative examples are given to introduce the reader to thegeneral subject matter discussed here and are not intended to limit thescope of the disclosed concepts. The following sections describe variousadditional aspects and examples with reference to the drawings in whichlike numerals indicate like elements, and directional descriptions areused to describe the illustrative examples but, like the illustrativeexamples, should not be used to limit the present disclosure.

FIG. 1 depicts an example of a DAS 100 that is designed to transportwireless communication information between a base station 106 and anetwork of spatially separated remote units 108 a-d and also providecommunication between components of facility control and monitoringsystems via a head-end unit 104. Although various aspects and featuresare described with respect to a DAS, other types of telecommunicationssystems, such as a repeater, can be used instead or in addition to aDAS.

The head-end unit 104 can be communicatively coupled to one or morefacility control centers 102 a-d, such as a fire alarm system 102 a, asecurity control system 102 b, an environmental control system 102 c, ora personnel tracking system 102 d. While specific facility controlcenters 102 a-d are depicted in FIG. 1 for illustrative purposes, anyfacility control center can be used. For example, other facility controlcenters can include a building access control system or an elevatormonitoring system. The head-end unit can also be communicatively coupledto a base station 106, which can be a cellular base transceiver stationfor wireless standards such as GSM, LTE, CDMA, or UMTS or a systemcontroller for a public safety network such as a public safety system ora medical telemetry system.

For providing wireless communications, the head-end unit 104 can receivedownlink signals pertaining to wireless communications from the basestation 106 and transmit uplink signals to the base station 106. Anysuitable communication link can be used for communication between basestations and head-end units, such as (but not limited to) a directconnection or a wireless connection. A direct connection can include,for example, a connection via a copper, optical fiber, or other suitablecommunication medium. In some aspects, the head-end unit 104 can includean external repeater or internal RF transceiver to communicate with thebase station 106. In some aspects, the head-end unit 104 can combinedownlink signals received from different base stations. The head-endunit 104 can transmit the combined downlink signals to one or more ofthe remote units 108 a-d.

In some aspects, the head-end unit 104 can be communicatively coupled tothe remote units 108 b-d via an expansion unit 112. In alternativeaspects, the head-end unit 104 can be coupled to remote unit 108 adirectly without using expansion units or other intermediate devices.

The remote units 108 a-d can provide wireless communications coverage bytransmitting downlink signals to user equipment devices and receivinguplink signals from the user equipment devices. Remote unit 108 a cantransmit the uplink signals directly to the head-end unit 104. Theexpansion unit 112 can combine the uplink signals received from theremote units 108 b-d and transmit the combined signal to the head-endunit 104. The head-end unit 104 can combine uplink signals received fromthe expansion unit 112 and the remote unit 108 a for transmission to thebase station 106.

FIG. 1 depicts a DAS 100 that communicates with one base station 106 andthat includes a single head-end unit 104, a single expansion unit 112,and four remote units 108 a-d. But a DAS according to other examples cancommunicate with any number of base stations and can include anysuitable number of head-end units, expansion units, and remote units.

Along with providing wireless communications, the DAS 100 can also beconfigured to interconnect facility control centers 102 a-d withassociated facility control nodes 110 a-d. For example, the fire alarmsystem 102 a can be associated with a smoke detector node 110 a by beingdesigned to communicate with the smoke detector node 110 a. Similarly,the security control system 102 b can be associated with a securitycamera node 110 b by being designed to communicate with the securitycamera node 110 b. The environmental control system 102 c can beassociated with a lighting control node 110 c by being designed tocommunicate with the lighting control node 110 c. And the personneltracking system 102 d can be associated with an RFID reader 110 d bybeing designed to communicate with the RFID reader 110 d. Facilitycontrol nodes 110 a-d and facility control centers 102 a-d cancommunicate by transmitting facility control information, which caninclude any type of control information (e.g., operational commands andinstructions) or monitoring information (e.g., sensor data, audio videofeeds, etc.). For example, facility control centers 102 a-d can providefacility control information in the form of commands to facility controlnodes 110 a-d to power on or off or activate certain features. Facilitycontrol nodes 110 a-d can provide facility control information in theform of sensor data to facility control centers 102 a-d.

The remote units 108 a-d can be designed to communicate with thefacility control nodes 110 a-d. For example, remote unit 108 a cancommunicate with a smoke detector node 110 a. In the event a fire isdetected, smoke detector node 110 a is activated and the remote unit 108a can send information regarding the status of the smoke detector node(e.g., the level of smoke being detected by the smoke detector node 110a) to the head-end unit 104, which can route the information to the firealarm system 102 a. Similarly, remote unit 108 b can communicate with asecurity camera node 110 b. The security camera node 110 b can transmita video and audio feed to the remote unit 108 b, which can transmit thevideo and audio data to the head-end unit 104. The head-end unit 104 canroute the facility control information, in this example, the video andaudio data, to the security control system 102 b. As another example,remote units 108 c-d can communicate with a lighting control node 110 c.The lighting control node 110 c can be configured to control multiplelights in the facility via commands from the environmental controlsystem 102 c. For example, a command from the environmental controlsystem 102 c to dim or brighten a particular light in the facility canbe sent via the head-end unit 104 to the remote unit 108 c or the remoteunit 108 d.

Facility control nodes can also include RFID readers used to monitorpersonnel and track building assets. In other aspects, RFID readers canbe used to determine a time period when areas of the building areunoccupied and lights or other systems can be turned off or placed in alow power mode. For example, the remote unit 108 d can becommunicatively coupled to an RFID reader 110 d. The RFID reader 110 dcan transmit scanned RFID tag information to the remote unit 108 d. Theremote unit 108 d can send the facility control information (in thiscase, the RFID tag information) to the personnel tracking system 102 dvia the head-end unit 104.

Configuring the DAS 100 to interface with components of facility controland monitoring systems can allow for more flexible operation of the DAS100. For example, information on environmental parameters in thecoverage area from the components of facility control and monitoringsystems can change a mode of operation of the DAS. The mode of operationcan pertain to the wireless communication functions of the DAS 100. Forexample, the power mode of the DAS 100 as it provides wirelesscommunication may depend on the status of certain environmentalparameters, such as the number of lights on in the facility. If adesignated light or a threshold number of lights are on, then the DAS100 can be operated in full power mode. Conversely, if a designatedlight or threshold of lights are off, then the DAS 100 can be set tooperate in a low power mode.

When configured to manage facility control centers 102 a-d and facilitycontrol nodes 110 a-d, the DAS 100 can obtain relevant information ofthe building, such as status of the number of lights on in the building,via the lighting control node 110 c coupled to the remote unit 108 c.The lighting control node 110 c can provide information on the status ofthe sensors (e.g., how many lights are switched on) to the remote units108 c. Based on the status of the sensor, a remote unit 108 a-d canchange a mode of operation (e.g., switch itself to a low powered mode)or the head-end unit 104 can send an instruction to one or more remoteunits 108 a-d to change the mode of operation.

While specific facility control nodes are depicted in FIG. 1 forillustrative purposes, other aspects can include any other node orsensor in a building system that is configured to interface with a DAS.For example, other facility control nodes can include a water pressuresensor, temperature sensor, air quality sensor, motion sensor, intrusionalarm, or ambient temperature sensor.

When a DAS is configured to manage the communications between componentsof facility monitoring and control systems, head-end units and remoteunits within the DAS can be configured to process the signals from thefacility control nodes and facility control centers in order totransport the signals through the DAS. FIGS. 2-3 depict examples of ahead-end unit and a remote unit configured to process the communicationsfrom components of facility control and monitoring systems.

FIG. 2 is an example of a block diagram of head-end unit 104 configuredto communicate with multiple facility control centers 102 a-d, whichwere described with respect to FIG. 1. Head-end unit 104 can include acommunications module 204, which can include various facility controlcommunications ports for interfacing with the facility control centers102 a-d. The facility control communications ports can be any portsuitable for connecting to a wired, optical, wireless, or any othercommunications network. For example, the communications module 204 caninclude one or more Ethernet ports, RS-232 serial interfaces, USBinterfaces, or digital optical ports for wired interfaces. Thecommunications module 204 can also include RF transceivers for wirelesscommunication with facility control centers. The communications module204 can consist of a standard interface hub that can support multipletypes of interface ports, such as a USB and Ethernet hub. Alternatively,the communications module 204 can consist of separate facility controlcommunications ports built into the head-end unit 104. While FIG. 2depicts communications module 204 as included in the head-end unit 104for illustrative purposes, in other aspects, communication interfacesfor communicating between the head-end unit and facility control centerscan be located separately as a switch external to the head-end unit 104.The multiple communication ports in the communications module 204 canallow the head-end unit 104 to communicate with a wide variety offacility control centers 102 a-d of differing communication protocols.

Along with communicating with multiple facility control centers, thehead-end unit 104 can also provide wireless communications via mobilevoice information and mobile data information to multiple remote units.The head-end unit 104 can thus allocate bandwidth in the uplink anddownlink data channels between various remote units and expansion unitsfor transport of the facility control information, mobile voiceinformation, and mobile data information

For example, head-end unit 104 can receive and transmit wireless signalswith the base station 106 via an RF interface 202. The RF interface 202can include a standard RF transceiver for receiving downlink wireless RFsignals from the base station 106 and converting the downlink signals toa digital sequence of ones and zeroes through an analog to digitalconverter. The RF interface 202 can also include a digital to analogconverter for converting digital uplink signals received from remoteunits to analog RF signals for transport to the base station 106.

The head-end unit 104 can include a signal processing module 206, whichcan prepare facility control information provided from thecommunications module 204 for transportation to remote units byconverting the facility control information to the format used in theDAS. The format of the facility control information can depend on thecommunications protocol used by the components of the facility controland monitoring system. For example, analog video cameras can send analogvideo and audio information to the communications module 204. The signalprocessing module 206 can convert the received analog video and audioinformation to a digital format transportable by the DAS. In anotherexample, a facility control center can provide facility controlinformation as a single bit pulse control modulated (“PCM”) signal. Thesignal processing module 206 can convert the PCM signal to a digitalsignal transportable in the DAS.

The signal processing module 206 can also receive signals carryingdownlink mobile voice information and mobile data information from theRF interface 202 and combine the mobile voice information and mobiledata information with the facility control information. According to oneaspect, framers can be included in the signal processing module 206.Framers can be configured to multiplex mobile data information, mobilevoice information, and facility control information into a downlinkstream. The signal processing module 206 can then route the multiplexedinformation to the appropriate output channel for transmission to theappropriate remote unit.

For example, the environmental control system 102 c can turn off alllighting in a building at a certain point of time, such as after theclose of business. The environmental control system 102 c can preparefacility control information informing lighting control devices withinthe building to turn off connected light switches. The communicationsmodule 204 in the head-end unit 104 can receive the facility controlinformation from the environmental control system 102 c via, forexample, an Ethernet interface, and provide the facility controlinformation to the signal processing module 206. The signal processingmodule 206 can determine, from information in the facility controlinformation, which remote unit or expansion unit should receive thefacility control information in order to route the facility controlinformation to lighting control nodes. The signal processing module 206can also receive downlink mobile voice information and downlink mobiledata information from the base station 106 via the RF interface 202. Thesignal processing module 206 can multiplex the signals carrying facilitycontrol information from the environmental control system 102 c with thedownlink voice information and downlink data information intended forthe remote unit that is coupled to the lighting control device node. Thesignal processing module 206 can then route the multiplexed informationto the appropriate downlink port in order to transmit the multiplexedinformation to the remote unit or expansion unit.

In addition to receiving downlink communications, the signal processingmodule 206 can also receive uplink communications from expansion unitsand remote units. According to one aspect, the uplink communicationsfrom remote units and expansion units may include a multiplexed signalthat includes uplink voice information and uplink data information aswell as facility control information sent from facility control nodes.The signal processing module 206 can include de-framers configured tode-multiplex the uplink data streams received from remote units intouplink mobile data information, mobile voice information, and facilitycontrol information. The signal processing module 206 can route themobile data information and mobile voice information for transmission tothe base station 106. The signal processing module 206 can also routethe facility control information to the appropriate communications portin the communications module 204 for transmission to the appropriatefacility control center.

For example, a security camera communicatively coupled to a remote unitin the DAS may be transmitting a live security feed to the securitycontrol system 102 b, which could be a central security server thatreceives live feeds from security cameras throughout the building. Thesignal processing module 206 can receive uplink signals from a remoteunit or an expansion unit. The uplink signals can include a multiplexedsignal that includes uplink voice information and uplink datainformation intended for the base station 106 as well as a live securitycamera video feed (which includes facility control information) from asecurity camera node coupled to a remote unit. The signal processingmodule 206 can utilize de-framers to de-multiplex the uplink signal intosignals carrying the respective uplink voice information, uplink datainformation, and facility control information. The signal processingmodule can provide the uplink voice and uplink data pertaining to DASwireless coverage to the RF interface 202 for transmission to basestation 106. Similarly, the signal processing module 206 can determine,from the facility control information, the appropriate facility controlcenter that is associated with the facility control node that sent thetransmission. The signal processing module 206 can route the facilitycontrol information (in this example, the live video feed) to theappropriate port in the communications module 204 for transmission tothe security control system 102 b.

In one aspect, the signal processing module 206 can be designed toprioritize mobile voice information, mobile data information, or thefacility control information that is communicated through the DAS 100.For example, if a mobile user is engaged in an ongoing voicecommunications call, facility control information may be transmittedthrough the DAS 100 at the same time as the ongoing voice call. Thesignal processing module 206 can prioritize the mobile voice informationpertaining to the ongoing voice call by allocating dedicated bandwidthin the DAS 100 for the voice information. Prioritization can reduce thelikelihood of experiencing a degradation of call quality due tobandwidth restrictions. In another example, facility control informationcan be prioritized over wireless communication information when thefacility control information pertains to building security or safety ofpersonnel in the building. For example, if an intrusion alarm sensor isactivated, indicating a building intruder, the facility controlinformation can be prioritized to ensure that the information regardingthe location and status of the intrusion reaches a facility controlcenter, such as a security center.

Any suitable method for prioritization of the mobile voice information,mobile data information and facility control information is possible,such using Quality of Service protocols or other prioritizationtechnologies.

The signal processing module 206 can be implemented using any suitableprocessing device, including a field-programmable gate array (“FPGA”), amicroprocessor, a peripheral interface controller (“PIC”), anapplication-specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”), or other suitableprocessor. The use of programmable devices such as an FPGA can allow forsoftware configuration of the framers and de-framers, allowing the DASto transfer data to and from a wide variety of devices via appropriateports based on the position of the data in each frame with little costimpact on the DAS.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting an example of the signal processingmodule 206. The signal processing module 206 can include a signalprocessor 502, multiplexer 504, formatter 506, line interface 508, and ade-multiplexer 510. The signal processor can be implemented using adigital signal processor (“DSP”), FPGA, or other suitable processingdevice. Wireless communication signals converted to a digital format viathe RF interface 202 can be provided to the signal processor 502. Thesignal processor 502 can adjust the gain of the wireless communicationsignal, apply any necessary signal filtering to attenuate residualnoise, and adjust the sampling rate as needed for transport in the DAS.Facility control information received by the communications module 204can also be provided to the signal processor 502. The signal processor502 can convert the facility control information to a formattransportable by the DAS. For example, if the facility controlinformation is in an analog format, the signal processor 502 can convertthe analog data to a digital format transportable in the DAS.

The processed wireless signal and converted facility control informationcan be two inputs into the multiplexer 504. The multiplexer 504 canmultiplex the two signals and provide the combined signal to theformatter 506.

The formatter 506 can include framers for processing the information onthe multiplexed signal into transportable frames. For example, for a 10Gbps Ethernet connection to the remote units, the formatter 506 canallocate a pre-determined number of bytes to each 10 Gbps Ethernetframe, the additional bytes allocated for carrying the facility controlinformation. The formatter 506 can then add the wireless communicationinformation and the facility control information to the 10 Gbps Ethernetframe. In some aspects, the multiplexer 504 can be included as part ofthe formatter 506, such that wireless communication informationprocessed by signal processor 502 and facility control informationreceived by the communications module 204 are multiplexed and formattedinto transportable downlink frames by the formatter 506.

The formatted downlink frames, carrying both the wireless communicationinformation and the facility control information, can be provided to aline interface 508. The line interface 508 can include the necessaryinterface for connecting to remote units or expansion units. Forexample, the line interface 508 can include a PHY module and Ethernetinterface if the DAS signals are being transported in a 10 Gbps Ethernetconnection. In other aspects, the line interface 508 can include opticaltransmit and receive ports, RS-485 serial transmitter and receiver, or awireless interface for providing signals wirelessly to the remote unitsor expansion units. The line interface 508 can thus provide themultiplexed downlink frames carrying both wireless communicationinformation and facility control information to remote units orexpansion units.

When uplink signals are received from remote units or expansion units,the uplink signals can include frames containing both wirelesscommunication information and facility control information. Along withframers, the formatter 506 can also include de-framers for processinguplink frames received from remote units and expansion units, extractingthe facility control information and the wireless communicationinformation from the uplink frames. The formatter 506 can provide thede-framed wireless communication information and facility controlinformation to the de-multiplexer 510 as a serial stream of digitaldata. The de-multiplexer 510 can separate the wireless communicationinformation from the serial stream of data and provide the wirelesscommunication information to the signal processor 502 for any necessarygain control or sampling rate adjustment. The signal processor 502 canthen provide the uplink wireless communication information to the RFinterface 202 for communication to the base station 106.

The de-multiplexer 510 can also separate the facility controlinformation and provide the facility control information to the signalprocessor 502. The facility control information can include dataidentifying the appropriate facility control center 102 a-d that shouldreceive the transmission. The signal processor 502 can detect theidentifying data in order to route the facility control signal to theappropriate facility control center 102 a-d. The signal processor 502can also convert the facility control information to a formatrecognizable by the facility control center 102 a-d. For example, if theappropriate facility control center communicates via analog signals, thesignal processor 502 can convert the digital facility controlinformation from the de-multiplexer 610 to an analog signal. The signalprocessor 502 can provide the converted facility controls signal to theappropriate output port of the communications module 204 for transportto the appropriate facility control center 102 a-d based on the detectedidentifier.

The functionality of the communications module 204 and the signalprocessing module 206 can also be implemented in a remote unit forcommunication with facility control nodes. FIG. 3 is a block diagramdepicting an example of remote unit 108 c, which is configured forproviding wireless communications to a coverage area as well asproviding communications to and from a facility control node coupled tothe remote unit 108 c. Specifically, the remote unit 108 c can becommunicatively coupled to a lighting control node 110 c. While thefacility control node depicted in FIG. 3 is a lighting control node 110c, remote units can be coupled to any suitable facility control node asdiscussed above.

Remote unit 108 c can communicate facility control information to andfrom the lighting control node 110 c via a communications module 302,which, similar to the communications module 204, can include variousfacility control communications ports as described with respect to FIG.2.

The remote unit 108 c can also transmit and receive wirelesscommunication signals carrying mobile voice information and mobile datainformation to user equipment devices in a coverage area via an antennainterface 304. The antenna interface 304 can include a transmit antennaand a receive antenna that are physically separated. Alternatively, theantenna interface 304 can include one shared transmit/receive antenna.The antenna interface 304 can also include an RF interface to convertuplink RF waveforms to digital signals for input to a signal processingmodule 306. Additionally, the antenna interface 304 can includecircuitry for converting downlink signals received from the signalprocessing module 306 to downlink RF waveforms for transmission.

The signal processing module 306 can prepare facility controlinformation provided from the communications module 302 fortransportation to a head-end unit or expansion unit by converting thefacility control information to the format used in the DAS. The signalprocessing module 306 can also receive the uplink wireless communicationsignals carrying mobile voice information and mobile data informationfrom the antenna interface 304 and combine the mobile voice information,mobile data information, and the facility control information. Similarto the signal processing module 206, the signal processing module 306can include framers to multiplex mobile data information, mobile voiceinformation, and facility control information into an uplink data streamprovided to the head-end unit or expansion unit.

For example, the lighting control node 110 c can be designed to providea signal containing information indicating the status of any connectedlighting (e.g., if the lighting in the facility is on or off). Thefacility control information (in this example, status of any connectedlighting) can be provided to the remote unit 108 c via thecommunications module 302. The communications module 302 can provide thefacility control information to the signal processing module 306. Thesignal processing module 306 can multiplex the facility controlinformation with uplink voice information and uplink data informationreceived by the antenna interface 304 and transmit the multiplexedinformation to the head-end unit. As discussed above with respect toFIG. 2, the head-end unit will de-multiplex the received signal androute the facility control information to the facility control centerassociated with the lighting control node 110 c.

In addition to processing uplink signals, downlink signals provided tothe remote unit 108 c from a head-end unit or expansion unit can bereceived by the signal processing module 306. The signal processingmodule 306 can de-multiplex the downlink wireless communication signalinto signals carrying facility control information, downlink mobilevoice information, and downlink mobile data information. The signalprocessing module 306 can then route the received facility controlinformation to the appropriate communications port in the communicationsmodule 302 for transmission to the lighting control node 110 c (theappropriate facility control node associated with the facility controlcenter that transmitted the signal). The signal processing module 306can route the de-multiplexed signals carrying mobile voice informationand mobile data information to the antenna interface 304 in order toprovide wireless coverage.

For example, the environmental control system 102 c discussed withrespect to FIG. 2 may send a command to turn off all lighting in thebuilding. The signal processing module 306 can receive downlink signalsfrom the head-end unit or expansion unit and de-multiplex the downlinksignals into signals carrying downlink mobile voice information, mobiledata information, and facility control information. The signalprocessing module 306 can route the facility control information (inthis case, the command instructing lighting to switch off) to theappropriate port in the communications module 302. The facility controlinformation can then be transmitted to the lighting control node 110 c,which can switch off lighting in the facility per the instructions fromthe environmental control system 102 c. The signal processing module 306can also provide the downlink mobile voice information and mobile datainformation to the antenna interface 304 for transmission to userequipment devices in the coverage zone.

Similar to the signal processing module 206, the signal processingmodule 306 can also be designed to prioritize mobile voice information,mobile data information, and facility control information in the samemanner as discussed above.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram depicting an example of the signal processingmodule 306 that can be included in a remote unit. The signal processingmodule 306 can include a signal processor 602, a multiplexer 604,formatter 606, line interface 608, and de-multiplexer 610, all of whichcan operate in a similar manner to the signal processor 502, multiplexer504, formatter 506, line interface 508, and de-multiplexer 510 describedpreviously in connection with FIG. 5.

For example, downlink signals transmitted by the head-end unit orexpansion unit can be provided to the signal processing module 306 viathe line interface 608. The downlink signals, which can carry bothwireless communication information and facility control information, canbe provided to the formatter 606. The formatter 606 can includede-framers for processing downlink frames received from the head-endunit or expansion unit, extracting the facility control information andwireless communication information from the downlink frames. Theformatter 606 can provide the de-framed wireless communicationinformation and facility control information to the de-multiplexer 610.

In turn, the de-multiplexer 610 can provide the wireless communicationinformation to the signal processor 602 for any necessary gain controlor sampling rate adjustment. The signal processor 602 can provide thedownlink wireless communication information to the antenna interface 304for communication to user equipment devices within the coverage area.The de-multiplexer 610 can also provide the facility control informationto the signal processor 602. Based on information included in thefacility control information, the signal processor 602 can identify theappropriate facility control node that should receive the facilitycontrol information. The signal processor 602 can also convert thefacility control information to a format used by the facility controlnode. For example, if the facility control node that should receive thefacility control information communicates using an analog interface, thesignal processor 602 can convert the digitized facility controlinformation (digitized for distribution through the DAS) to theappropriate analog format. The signal processor 602 can then provide thefacility control information to the communications module 302 fortransport to the appropriate facility control node.

Uplink wireless communication information provided by user equipmentdevices can be received by the antenna interface 304 and provided to thesignal processor 602 in the signal processing module 306. Afterperforming any necessary gain control, filtering, and sampling rateadjustment, the uplink wireless communication information can beprovided as the first of two inputs to the multiplexer 604. Facilitycontrol information received by the communications module 302 can beprovided to the signal processor 602. The signal processor 602 canconvert the facility control information to a format transportable bythe DAS, as described above with respect to signal processor 502. Theconverted facility control information can be provided as the secondinput into the multiplexer 604. The multiplexer 604 can combine thewireless communication information and facility control information andprovide the combined data stream to the formatter 606. The formatter606, in turn, can process combined data stream into uplink data framestransportable in the DAS. The uplink data frames, carrying both wirelesscommunication information and facility control information, can betransmitted to the head-end unit or expansion unit via the lineinterface 608.

While FIGS. 2-3 and 5-6 depict the communications modules 204, 302 andthe signal processing modules 206, 306, as included in the head-end unit104 and remote unit 108 c, in other aspects, functionality of thecommunications module and signal processing module can be distributedthrough the DAS. For example, a dedicated facility control andmonitoring module can be added as a component in the DAS in order toprovide the functionality of the signal processing modules 206, 306.Similarly, an external switch or connection hub can be used in the DASto receive and transmit communications between the facility controlcenters and facility control nodes.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart depicting an example of a process for using a DASto provide communications between a facility control center and facilitycontrol nodes associated with the facility control center according toone aspect of the present disclosure.

In block 402, a head-end unit can receive facility control informationfrom a facility control center. For example, head-end unit 104 canreceive facility control information from a fire alarm system 102 a,security control system 102 b, environmental control system 102 c,personnel tracking system 102 d, or other facility control center via acommunications module 204. The facility control information can providecontrol information or various commands to facility control nodesassociated with the facility control centers. For example, fire alarmsystem 102 a can have associated smoke detector nodes coupled to remoteunits. Fire alarm system 102 a can transmit command information to asmoke detector node 110 a pinging the status of the smoke detector node110 a. As another example, security control system 102 b can have anassociated security camera node 110 b coupled to a remote unit 108 b.The security control system 102 b can send facility control informationcontaining commands instructing the security camera node 110 b to changedirection of recording or zoom in or out on a particular location.

In block 404, facility control information can be converted to a formattransportable by a DAS. A signal processing module 206 can process thesignals in software. For example, the signal processing module 206 canconvert facility control information transported as a single bit serialPCM signal to a digital format transportable by the DAS. In anotheraspect, the communications module 204 can include hardware forconverting incoming analog facility control information to a digitalsignal for transport in the DAS. For example, the communications module204 can include analog to digital converters configured to digitizefacility control information being transmitted in an analog format.

In block 406, the signals carrying facility control information can bemultiplexed with signals carrying wireless communication information forthe DAS. A framer in the head-end unit can be configured to multiplexthe signals. Alternatively, the signal processing module 206 can beconfigured to multiplex the signals in software. For example, the signalprocessing module 206 can allocate a pre-determined number of bytes ofinformation in each data frame carrying digital DAS signals. If DASsignals are being transmitted via a 10G BASE-T (10 Gbps) Ethernetprotocol, the signal processing module 206 can allocate bytes ofinformation to each 10 Gbps Ethernet frame. The signal processing module206 can multiplex the digitized facility control information by addingthe facility control information into the allocated bytes in the dataframes. The signal processing module 206 can also insert identifierinformation for the facility control information into the data frame sothat the recipient remote unit detect and de-multiplex the facilitycontrol information out of the data frame.

In block 408, the multiplexed information is transmitted to a remoteunit. Specifically, the multiplexed information is transmitted to theremote unit for providing wireless communications coverage to a coveragearea and for providing the facility control information to a facilitycontrol node associated with the facility control center. For example,the head-end unit can transmit the multiplexed information to a remoteunit. The signal processing module 306 in the remote unit cande-multiplex the information into facility control information andwireless communication information. The signal processing module 306 inthe remote unit can also convert the facility control information backto the format compatible with the facility control and monitoringsystem. The remote unit can route the de-multiplexed facility controlinformation to the appropriate facility control node associated with thefacility control center that provided the facility control information.The remote unit can also use the wireless communication information toprovide wireless coverage to the coverage area.

While the present subject matter has been described in detail withrespect to specific aspects and features thereof, it will be appreciatedthat those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of theforegoing may readily produce alterations to, variations of, andequivalents to such aspects and features. Accordingly, it should beunderstood that the present disclosure has been presented for purposesof example rather than limitation, and does not preclude inclusion ofsuch modifications, variations and/or additions to the present subjectmatter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art

What is claimed is:
 1. A distributed antenna system, comprising: acommunications module configured to communicate facility controlinformation with a first component of a facility control and monitoringsystem; and a signal processing module configured to convert thefacility control information to a format transportable by thedistributed antenna system, wherein the distributed antenna system isconfigured to transport the facility control information to a secondcomponent of the facility control and monitoring system and transportwireless communication information between a base station and a remoteunit of the distributed antenna system, the remote unit being configuredto provide the wireless communication information within a coveragearea.
 2. The distributed antenna system of claim 1, wherein the signalprocessing module is further configured to multiplex the wirelesscommunication information and the facility control information.
 3. Thedistributed antenna system of claim 1, further comprising: a head-endunit communicatively coupled to the remote unit and configured totransport the facility control information between a facility controlcenter and the remote unit, wherein the signal processing module and thecommunications module are included in the head-end unit, and wherein theremote unit is configured to transport the facility control informationbetween the head-end unit and a facility control node associated withthe facility control center.
 4. The distributed antenna system of claim1, wherein the first component of the facility control and monitoringsystem comprises a security camera node configured to provide a securityvideo feed to the second component of the facility control andmonitoring system, and wherein the second component of the facilitycontrol and monitoring system comprises a security control systemconfigured to receive the security video feed and send commands to thesecurity camera node.
 5. The distributed antenna system of claim 1,wherein the first component of the facility control and monitoringsystem comprises a smoke detector node configured to provide smokedetection information to the second component of the facility controland monitoring system, and wherein the second component of the facilitycontrol and monitoring system comprises a fire alarm system configuredto receive the smoke detection information and send commands to thesmoke detector node.
 6. The distributed antenna system of claim 2,wherein the wireless communication information comprises mobile voiceinformation and mobile data information, and wherein the signalprocessing module is configured to prioritize the mobile voiceinformation during an active voice call.
 7. The distributed antennasystem of claim 3 wherein the facility control node is configured todetect an environmental parameter within the coverage area and providethe environmental parameter to the remote unit, wherein the remote unitis configured to provide the environmental parameter to the head-endunit, and wherein the head-end unit is configured to change a mode ofoperation of the distributed antenna system, based on the environmentalparameter, with respect to wireless communication coverage.
 8. Thedistributed antenna system of claim 7, wherein the environmentalparameter comprises information on a status of lighting units in thecoverage area, and wherein the head-end unit is configured to change themode of operation of the distributed antenna system by setting thedistributed antenna system to a low power mode when the status thelighting units indicates that the lighting units are powered off.
 9. Aremote unit, comprising: an antenna interface configured to transmitwireless communication information within a coverage area; acommunications module configured to communicate facility controlinformation with a facility control node associated with a facilitycontrol center; and a signal processing module, communicatively coupledto the antenna interface and the communications module, the signalprocessing module configured to convert the facility control informationto a format transportable by a distributed antenna system.
 10. Theremote unit of claim 9, wherein the signal processing module is furtherconfigured to multiplex the wireless communication information and thefacility control information into multiplexed information and transmitthe multiplexed information to a head-end unit of the distributedantenna system.
 11. The remote unit of claim 10, wherein the head-endunit is configured to de-multiplex the multiplexed information into thewireless communication information and the facility control information,transmit the facility control information to the facility controlcenter, and transmit the wireless communication information to acellular network or a public safety network.
 12. The remote unit ofclaim 9, wherein the facility control node comprises a security cameranode configured to provide a security video feed to the facility controlcenter, and wherein the facility control center comprises a securitycontrol system configured to receive the security video feed and sendcommands to the security camera node.
 13. The remote unit of claim 12,wherein the facility control node comprises a smoke detector nodeconfigured to provide smoke detection information to the facilitycontrol center, and wherein the facility control center comprises a firealarm system configured to receive the smoke detection information andsend commands to the smoke detector node.
 14. The remote unit of claim10, wherein the wireless communication information comprises mobilevoice information and mobile data information, and wherein the signalprocessing module is configured to prioritize the mobile voiceinformation during an active voice call.
 15. The remote unit of claim 9,wherein the facility control node is configured to detect anenvironmental parameter within the coverage area and provide theenvironmental parameter to the remote unit, wherein the remote unit isconfigured to provide the environmental parameter to a head-end unitcommunicatively coupled to the remote unit, and wherein the head-endunit is configured to change a mode of operation of the distributedantenna system, based on the environmental parameter, with respect towireless communication coverage.
 16. The remote unit of claim 15,wherein the environmental parameter comprises information on a status oflighting units in the coverage area, and wherein the head-end unit isconfigured to change the mode of operation of the distributed antennasystem by setting the distributed antenna system to a low power modewhen the status of the lighting units indicates that the lighting unitsare powered off.
 17. A method, comprising: receiving, at a head-endunit, facility control information from a facility control center;converting the facility control information to a format transportable bya distributed antenna system; generating multiplexed information bymultiplexing wireless communication information and the facility controlinformation; and transmitting the multiplexed information to a remoteunit for providing wireless communications coverage to a coverage areausing the wireless communication information and for providing thefacility control information to a facility control node associated withthe facility control center.
 18. The method of claim 17, furthercomprising: receiving, at the remote unit, an environmental parameterfrom the facility control node; transmitting the environmental parameterto the head-end unit; based on the environmental parameter, changing amode of operation of the distributed antenna system with respect to thewireless communication information.
 19. The method of claim 17, furthercomprising: prioritizing the wireless communication information over thefacility control information during an active voice call.
 20. The methodof claim 17, further comprising, prioritizing the facility controlinformation over the wireless communication information when thefacility control information includes information relating to buildingsecurity.